Manipulation
by akitokihojo
Summary: Kagome is kidnapped by a malevolent and ruthless demon that gets off on terror and drawn out death. He wants to taunt her lifeless body over Inuyasha's head for pure enjoyment and revenge. Will Inuyasha make it in time or will Kagome be fighting for her life alone?
1. Part One

**Note:** Graphic depictions of violence.

* * *

Kagome grunted hoarsely as she was tossed to the floor, the side of her body colliding against the hard wood below her kidnapper's feet. She glared up at her foe currently towering over her, his muscular build casting a shadow around her body on the ground from the small torch high up on the wall behind him. He stared back at her with his pitch-black eyes, not a sliver of emotion on his face as she corrected her body positioning slightly, easing her bruised hipbone away from the hard surface it dug into.

"Are you ever gonna tell me who you are?" Kagome spewed, slowly inching away from the demon who hadn't spoken a word since abducting her from the village she had been assisting. He'd appeared out of nowhere, startling the children that helped her pick herbs in the field, smirking daringly at the priestess as she quickly pushed the young girls behind her and pulled an arrow out of her quiver to align with her bow. The weapons were quickly smacked from her hands and Kagome had barely dodged his attack before she was grabbed by the waist, yanked over the demon's shoulder, and whisked away.

His thin eyebrow cocked upwards at her question and he stepped forward to fill the gap Kagome had created, his lips slowly and menacingly curling upward into a grin, baring his sharp teeth at her.

"What does it matter? This information won't be of any use to you if you're dead." He replied, his dark eyes boring into her soul, seemingly seeing every secret she held within. His skin was pale, his ears long and pointed like you'd imagine a fairy's to be. He wore a dark green yukata, the material appearing thinner than a robe should be as the seasons changed from autumn to winter, and he wore his long, dark hair in a high ponytail, small strands of hair hanging loose around the edges of his hairline. There was no sclera to his eyes. All Kagome could see was the blackest of black gazing down at her menacingly, causing her lungs to hitch uncomfortably. She balled her fingers into fists, keeping her own stare fixed on his face, refusing to look away from the demon that had too much nerve for her to respect.

"Well, I'm not dead yet. I think I deserve to know who my attacker is and what, exactly, I did to become your target." The amount of danger Kagome was in was beginning to settle into her gut. This wasn't her first time being abducted. Not in a long shot. But Kagome was witty and could usually argue to stall her attacker, or even fight back, herself. Something was telling her that she was up against something or someone _very_ different than anything she'd ever encountered before, and she just hoped she could stall long enough until Inuyasha could get there.

This was, admittedly, a slim chance of happening. She was nowhere near Inuyasha when the dark-eyed demon appeared. He was back in their village and she had agreed to aid another a few miles off, watching some children and teaching them about herbs and their remedies. He was too far to hear her scream, so Inuyasha showing up was merely a hope she could cling to in order to keep fighting. And she _would_ keep fighting. She'd get herself out of here on her own if she had to.

"Oh, it's not you I hold the grudge against." The demon smirked, taking another step closer and kneeling before the priestess. Kagome quickly adjusted herself at his movements, sitting up completely and bracing her hands along the floor behind her, her knees folded up to her chest while her thighs tensed together protectively.

"Don't tell me it's my husband." She warned, shaking her head and huffing as he cocked his head slightly. A rumble of confirmation emitted from his chest, the dark lids over his even darker eyes lowering halfway as he looked over her stiff form. "So, you took me to get back at him?"

"And, doesn't it work out beautifully?" He laughed, his fangs shining brightly from the saliva pooling behind his lips, and he crawled closer to her. Kagome scooted backwards, focusing in on the items in her peripheral vision to see if any were close enough to use against the demon. "I planned on killing you quickly and maybe hanging your corpse out to dry so that Inuyasha could be greeted with the sight of your mutilated body, but maybe instead I'll have some fun. At least to start. I've never laid with a priestess before."

A blisteringly hot rush of fear doused Kagome's body, starting at her cheeks and coursing through her veins down her neck, arms, torso, legs, and ending at her toes. She'd never been threatened this way before, and the way the monstrous demon licked his lips and inhaled her scent as he inched closer to her body that was agonizingly close to being backed against a wall had her inclined to believe that he was one to hold true to his plans. What the hell had Inuyasha done to piss this guy off so bad?

Kagome couldn't sense the demon's energy. If she weren't staring directly at him as he crawled almost animalistically toward her, she'd never know he was actually there. It was like a nightmare where the only relief of him was closing her eyes and plugging her ears. His demeanor seemed overly-confident and bold. His stare, though hard to tell, seemed fixated not _on_ her but _inside_ of her. His eyes reminded her of demons you'd hear about in the present day; the ones that rose from hell and wreaked havoc on the innocent, threw things, screamed, were unseen to the common, and if possible, killed. The growl that emitted from his throat shook her to the core and had her fingers trembling so badly that she clenched them into fists once again, swallowing tightly and holding her breath in an attempt to seem stable and strong.

"Have some… " Kagome started, biting back the twitch in her voice. "Laid with?"

"Could you imagine the half demon's reaction to knowing I'd made you mine? It would enrage him entirely!" The demon seemed delighted as he explained. "And then I would kill you in front of him! I'd make him watch you bleed out onto the floor, and he'd understand he should have never crossed me!"

" _Who are you!?"_ She asked through gritted teeth, feeling a fire flicker and burn inside of her.

"You still want to know? My name is Akiro." He smiled, nuzzling his jaw into the crook of her neck. His hot, moist breath licked at her sensitive skin and she flinched as he finished his statement. "And you, Kagome, are my prey."

The quickly-approaching children could be heard from nearly half a mile off, Inuyasha's ear flicking in the direction of the dense forest ahead of Kaede's hut. He stood up straight after swinging the axe in hand one last time, the small log cut in two and falling in different directions to the grass beneath it, and took in the sound of the stomping feet smacking the earth at a fast pace. The smell of their thick sweat hit his sensitive nose and he could hear their panting and whimpering as they told each other to just keep going, they were close so just keep running, she had to live around here somewhere, keep running. His curiosity was peaked. There were two kids, one of them a little clumsier than the other. The speed of their bare feet hitting the dirt was slowing, and he could only imagine how exhausted their small legs had to be from the wheezing that emitted from their throats.

His golden eyes turned to the clearing in the trees just as the young girls burst through the shrubbery. Even from where he stood, he could tell their faces were bright red and slick with sweat, their hands barely able to hang onto one another anymore. And once their eyes landed on Kaede's hut, the taller child in the lead yanked the smaller one into their final sprint, their high-pitched yells for the old priestess becoming louder and clearer and more panicked as they got closer.

Inuyasha dropped the tool he held immediately, running over to the kids as Kaede pushed the entrance mat to her home aside and rushed out as fast as her aging body allowed her to.

"Lady Kaede! Please, we need your help! Lady Kaede, hurry!" Their screams were broken and weak, and he could only imagine how badly their throats and lungs burned.

"Woah, woah, woah!" Inuyasha began, urging the two to stop and kneeling at their feet. "Slow down! You guys look like you're about to pass out!"

"No, you don't understand!" The older one declared, her bright blue eyes boring into him. "We've been attacked! The priestess Lady Kaede sent us was taken from our village! Lady Kaede, oh thank goodness!" She cried as the old woman hobbled closer. Inuyasha felt the air leave his lungs entirely while the muscles in his chest lost the ability to expand for more. Dread sunk and settled into the pit of Inuyasha's stomach, burning at the walls of the organ and causing an indescribably dull pain.

"Lady Kaede, Lady Kagome is gone!" The younger one squeaked, her chest heaving up and down as she dropped the other girl's hand and stepped closer to the priestess. "She was taken by the most terrifying creature! You must help save her! Where is her husband? Her kin? We have to alert them all!"

"Where did this happen?" Inuyasha instinctively asked, swallowing the burning fire that boiled and rose through his throat. His claws bit into the palms of his hands and he was seconds away from damning their explanations and running off to follow the girls' scents back to the village they had come from.

"Inuyasha, wait!" Kaede demanded knowing full and well from plenty of past experiences that he intended to chase blindly after Kagome. "You must be rational in a situation such as this. It could possibly be much simpler to locate Kagome if you listened. You don't know what you're up against yet."

"Or I could be wasting time!"

"Inuyasha?" The older girl inquired, her voice small and shaky from the nerves. Her curious eyes widened as they shot his way once more, the drumming in her chest beginning to calm slightly. "She spoke of you. You're her husband?"

"Please, Inuyasha, hear what they have to say." Kaede spoke lucidly from beside him.

"I don't have time for this shit!" He fired, rising to stand.

"You cannot help her if you don't know the circumstance, you stubborn fool! You should know by now that you could make matters worse!"

The hanyou let out a rumbling growl from the depths of his chest, muffling it behind his barely-parted lips and burying his desire to race off into the darkened forest, the last of the light in the sky disappearing behind the distant mountains and tree lines. He could feel his heart beating violently behind his ribcage, but he clenched his abdominal muscles to keep himself stilled, sighed out a ragged breath, and knelt before the little girls again.

"Yeah, I'm her husband, kid." He finally answered, keeping his tone as cool as possible. "I need you to tell me what happened."

The older girl huffed incredulously and fearlessly grabbed his calloused hand; her grip on his palm surprisingly strong as her little fingers pulled him to follow her, her other hand snatching the younger girl's. "There's no time for that right now! We can explain on the way! Come on! We'll take you back to our village!"

Inuyasha, slightly taken aback by the girl's determined demeanor, quickly brushed the feeling aside and took the incentive as it was, standing up tall to stop the older girl in her tracks and grabbing her by her waist. He pulled her over his head and allowed her to slide down in between his shoulder blades where she was able to comfortably cling to his shoulders, her legs just long enough to slightly wrap along his rib cage. He grabbed up the smaller child and hooked her in one arm as she curled the small fingers of one hand along the hem of his fire rat to anchor herself to his chest and pointed in the direction they'd come from.

"Hang on tight!"

He took off in a sprint, not running as fast as he would have had he been alone in case it endangered the children, and followed their cues, listening when either of them recognized a landmark and knew it was time to make a turn. He couldn't help but notice the distance between his village and theirs as he ran, creating a stabbing pain in his gut. The further he got from home, the more he realized how far Kagome was from him to begin with, and even more so now as he focused on how long it must have taken the two tiny kids clinging to him to run the distance in order to retrieve him. How could he have let her go alone? How could he have let his defenses drop? He'd always hated when Kagome went away to help distant villages, but she'd convinced him months ago to let her start going alone. She claimed she was trying to better herself as a priestess and she couldn't do that with someone constantly looking over her shoulder. She claimed it was her duty to help, and he couldn't always be there in case he and Miroku were needed elsewhere to slay a demon. And for months now, things had been fine. She didn't leave too often, but when she did, she always came back in one piece. So, Inuyasha began to relax. He enjoyed missing her while they were separated, because when either of them came back home, the reunion was sweet and intimate, and he could bask in her tender back strokes and joyful smile for the rest of his life.

The half demon cursed himself for being so goddamn selfish. His carelessness was what got his wife kidnapped. He'd hardly even asked how far this village was from their own. He didn't get the details he should have. He'd helped her pack up a few essentials, made sure she had her bow and arrows for protection, and kissed her goodbye a few feet inside the forest line. That was it. If she was hurt, it was his damn fault.

Inuyasha could smell burning wood at different angles ahead and hear the villagers in the distance shouting names and orders, men checking in with the others and women shouting replies and demanding their children stay inside.

"I can see the clearing up ahead! Can you see it, mister Inuyasha?" The little girl in his arms asked, pointing her chubby finger once more as he pushed his legs to go just a little faster, knowing the kids could endure it for a short distance.

"The field is to your left!" The older one commanded as they came out onto a wide dirt road. He followed her lead, ignoring the shouts from the frantic villagers, changing his path and running straight into the field of cold, damp grass that wild plants populated. Inuyasha took in a breath through his nose, picking up on that familiar, warm and sweet scent that had become his home, noticing how weak and distant it was as he ached to breathe more of Kagome in. His pace slowed, the dark field hard to see in as he used his nose to guide him, the child on his back letting go and sliding off as she stumbled around his side and grabbed his free hand. She pulled him forward, guiding him to the area they must have been in before and he finally caught the strong and wonderful aroma he'd been searching for, creating a shaky pant to leave his lungs.

"She was sitting right here when the demon came out of nowhere!" She exclaimed, pointing to the spot she stood over. "And when she tried to protect us, he hit her!"

Inuyasha could feel the heat of anger quickly bubbling up through his abdomen, his heated, amber eyes wandering around the field in search of something, _anything_ , that could be a clue as to who took Kagome. He stuck his nose out just an inch further, taking minor sniffs of the air to get a whiff of the bastard, but there were too many fragrances polluting the area. The weeds, the flowers, the herbs, the children, and the soot from the approaching burning torches clouded his senses.

"Her bow, mister Inuyasha! Her bow is there!" The little one in his arm shouted, making no motion to be separated from him, and pointing into the thick grass a few feet ahead. He closed the scant distance between them and the weapon, fighting back the deep and guttural growl that built up in his throat, but before he could kneel to pick it up the villagers jerked his attention their way.

"Papa!" The small one shouted excitedly, still not pushing out of Inuyasha's hold.

"Where have you been?! We've been looking everywhere for the two of you!" The man in front demanded, swiftly passing his torch to a young boy next to him and crouching down in front of the older girl, grabbing her tightly by her upper arms so her eyes were focused on him and only him.

"We had to go get-"

"A demon attacked! You don't just run off with your sister when that happens, you know better!"

"I know, papa, but we had to-"

"You're just children! Your sister is only five and you eight! You could have been killed; you have no means to protect yourself! Do you have any idea what your mother has been through tonight?"

"Do you have any idea what Lady Kagome has been through!?" She snapped, her face bold with defiance. "She saved us, papa, and she was abducted! If we ran home, who would save _her?_ "

The man's eyebrows furrowed together, and his lips twitched downward before he turned his attention to the half demon holding his youngest daughter. "You have my deepest apologies." He stated, the deepness of his voice still rough, standing tall and retrieving the torch from the young man. "How may we aid you?"

"You've done enough." Inuyasha replied a little too quickly, eager to get back to his search for Kagome. He took a step forward to meet the man that stood only a few inches taller than he, passing off the small girl into her father's free arm.

"You will save her, won't you?" She asked as she settled into the crook of his elbow. "Lady Kagome will be okay, right?"

"She'll be okay, kid." He replied as confidently as he could. "I'll save her, and I'll let her know who her real heroes are."

"Please hurry," The older girl picked up the bow, holding it out to Inuyasha with both hands. He walked over to where she stood, clutching the item in his fingers. "He took her that way." She stated, her head turning to face the dense trees.

Still, Inuyasha couldn't catch the lingering scent of a demon and it pissed him off even further. How could he smell his wife and not the bastard that snatched her? It didn't make any sense.

"Hey, can you tell me something?" He began, not looking away from the thick darkness inside the forest.

"Sure."

"What did he look like?"

"He was tall and white! Super white!" The youngest proclaimed from her father's arms.

"He had terrifying, black eyes and sharp teeth. Like yours. Um… He had long, dark hair that he tied up. And he was dressed in a green robe. He didn't carry any weapons." The older child specified.

Inuyasha ground his jaw, feeling the muscles below his temples flex and tighten, allowing the picture of his wife's captor to become clear in his mind. Pale skin and black eyes was almost all he needed… He'd recently faced a demon like this on an excursion with Miroku. They were called to a village where men, women, and children were being taken in the night and killed just outside the village walls. This wasn't the first report they'd received on the incident, either. Several villages before the last they'd visited told them of similar incidents, all of them claiming to hear a horrifying growl rip through the air just before a blood-curdling scream stilled the nights.

The demon was named Akiro. It took Miroku and Inuyasha months to finally track the guy down because he left no scent behind, and could only rely on rumors along with the monk's strong ability to out-smart others once he caught onto a pattern. When they'd finally found their demon, he applauded them like the arrogant asshole he was. He openly explained that his strength lied in his mind's capability to trick whoever he wanted, apparently even able to fool people from miles away. He made it so the most common things demon slayers searched for were hidden completely. So, his fowl aura and stench were basically nonexistent, even when Miroku and Inuyasha were less than a yard away.

They had failed to kill him. He was bold and cocky, but Inuyasha had realized it was literally only his tricks that he relied on. Akiro never made an effort to physically fight the two of them, mostly because he'd made it impossible for them to come at him, so he wouldn't have to. Or so they thought. It was a fucking hoax, and once Miroku had wormed his way out of it, he made to attack. Inuyasha wasn't too far behind and thrusted his Tetsusaiga into a powerful windscar. Akiro barely dodged it, his arm and shoulder damaged by the attack and bleeding profusely, the blood staining his paper-white skin as it dripped down the length of his arms, down his twitching fingers, and onto the dirt below his feet. He used another mind trick to stop them from pursuing as he ran away, and villages had been silent about his attacks since.

If Inuyasha hadn't have failed that damn mission, if he had kept attacking and didn't concentrate on how absolutely mind fucked he felt, he could have ended it right then and there. He could have killed the twisted bastard that left bodies mutilated and battered for friends and family to find outside of the village borders and he wouldn't have to face the reality that Akiro now had Kagome in his possession, while he was doing who-knows-what to her.

"Thanks, kid." Inuyasha forced himself to say through his stiff jaw, giving the two a small glance behind him. He could see the worried look etched into the older one's features as she hardened her stance and stepped closer. "Hang onto this for me, would ya?" He held out the red bow to her, and she quickly went to take it back.

"I'll keep it safe until you come back." She stated firmly, clutching it close to her chest. Inuyasha jumped into the trees, using Kagome's lasting scent as his guide. The demon was smart, sure. He covered his tracks. But he wasn't smart enough to cover hers, and that would be his undoing. Inuyasha would make sure of it.

"GET AWAY FROM ME!" Kagome shrieked, throwing a large, ceramic vase at the demon a few feet from her with all the strength she could muster up in her slightly spent body. Her hair was disheveled, the unruly waves falling around her face while her thick bangs stuck to the sweat along her forehead. She felt heat pooling under the skin at the corner of her bottom lip while the puffiness of the area provided a dull numbness where her mouth closed, the harsh, copper liquid coming from the open wound seeping both down her chin and along her tongue. Her cheek was sore from the slaps Akiro had served her, his fingers eventually curling as he grew more and more frustrated from her never-ceasing struggle to remove herself from underneath him, the stinging strikes evolving into three solid punches along the bone just below her eye. He stopped when she'd whimpered and stilled, breathing shallowly along the cheek he'd bruised, and giving her the open opportunity to buck him forward with a powerful thrust of her hips, allowing her to scramble across the small room and distance herself from him.

His pale arms were scraped from her nails digging into whatever skin she could find, streaks of red decorating his forearms, small speckles of blood prickling out along the scratches. His mouth curved downward while his top lip twitched along with his boiled growl.

"Insolent _wench._ " He cursed, baring his fangs and clenching his fists. Kagome took another step back, pressing her back firmly against the wall behind her, her eyes wandering around the room for anything else she could defend herself with. "You'll regret defying me."

"I don't think I will." She declared, eyeing a smaller vase in the corner across the room. Other than that, she was out of options. There was nothing more around that she could utilize. She'd already pushed the table towards him -her first line of defense- when she'd wormed her way out of his clutches. It was heavier than she'd initially thought, and she'd only managed to bump him, but it created a small distraction as he pushed it aside and Kagome was able to grab the four sitting cushions around and toss them his way with every ounce of strength her arms and shoulders harbored. Cushions, alone, would hardly do damage, but with enough force they could provide a sting and give her time to get towards the large, ceramic vase she thought she could do some real damage with. Kagome was hardly able to pick it up over her head and chuck it towards her attacker, her muscles trembling under the weight of it, the item falling short and missing him by an inch or two.

"I'll make sure you do!" Akiro snarled, launching at her. Kagome pushed off the wall, ducking as his arm swung, his fingers catching in a tangle at the end of her dark strands. She could feel the tear from some of the hair leaving her scalp as his nails came free, the force of the yank causing her to stumble forward, losing her balance and crashing to the ground.

Something about this demon was off. Aside from his missing aura and pitch-black eyes, something seemed completely unnerving about her opponent. He was clever. He had a knack for saying the crudest and most disturbing things in order to get under your skin, painting vivid images in your mind of torture and death. He knew how to make you feel hopeless and empty and like everything was already gone as he threatened to take it away. It wasn't amusement he got from a person's terror, though. It was uncensored and disconcerting bliss. Kagome was practically watching the man get off as he held her down and described in full detail every brutal act he promised not only on her, but on Miroku's daughter after he'd finished with Kagome's body. He even specifically stated he would only murder _one_ of the twins, so that whenever Sango and Miroku looked upon their living, little girl they'd be reminded only of the one that was taken from them.

Akiro was sick, twisted, perverted, grotesque, and undeniably evil. But he wasn't wise. His arrogance seemed to blind him and that was how she was able to eventually escape his grasp. He wasn't necessarily as strong as your typical demon either. She'd playfully wrestled with Inuyasha before, and even then, she was no match in the strength department. So, given _he_ was a half demon and she didn't stand a chance, how was she able to put up a fight with the demon she faced now? Kagome wouldn't say he was entirely weak, physically. He was, after all, able to carry her for miles over his shoulder, throw her down with quite a bit of force, and unabashedly pin her to the ground. He was just weaker than any other demon, half blood or not, she'd personally encountered.

So where did his real strength reside? Kagome was more than willing to settle on his sharp tongue and daring talent for mind-numbing manipulation. That couldn't be all, though. She was missing an important detail. There was something more to her foe that she just couldn't put her finger on.

Akiro quickly followed Kagome's path as she tried to crawl backwards and away from him with her elbows, feeling the hard floor and the bones of her forearms collide together uncomfortably. He threw himself to his knees in an attempt to straddle her hips once more, but she quickly curled up her legs, turned them away and pushed to her hands and knees in order to climb to her feet and run. His long fingers swiftly wrapped around one of Kagome's ankles and jerked her back to the ground, her chin colliding with the floor and her upper teeth crunching down on the already-swollen lip she sported. She reached forward with an arm as Akiro slowly dragged her backwards, outstretching her fingers as far as she physically could just to graze the small vase with enough force that it wobbled and tipped, the long neck of the ceramic pot landing in her direction. The demon turned Kagome over, achieving his goal and pinching the sides of her hips to pin her in place with the thick muscles of his thighs.

"I'm going to kill you, Kagome." He growled dangerously, his hot breath burning the sensitive and thin skin of Kagome's lips as he held his face only inches above her own. "I'm going to fuck you, and then I'm going to kill you, and I'm going to do it all so slowly and satisfyingly you'll wish you'd sat here and taken the beating like the good, little girl you ought to have been."

"No." Kagome whimpered.

"It would have been quick! It could have been over with by now!" Akiro laughed, a bit of drool dripping from his teeth and onto her cheek, searing Kagome's sweat-dampened flesh. "Now look at you. You just _had_ to be the hero, didn't you? _No, you can't hurt their child. I won't let you."_ He was mocking her, hitching his voice to a higher octave and loosening the top of her kosode to easily drag his nails along the length of her sternum. "As if you could do anything to stop me. The half breed and monk didn't stand a chance, so what makes you think you do? You're weak. You are nothing. And you will die."

"I…" Kagome's hand continued reaching above her, extending further to graze the smooth ceramic while using her free hand to push Akiro's face away from her own, the heel of her palm pressing aggressively into his high cheekbone. She reached even further, gritting her teeth and flicking her middle finger along the neck of the vase until her index was able to feel it too, the muscle at her shoulder blade cramping painfully. "…am _not_ weak!"

Kagome clutched the pot within her trembling fingers, swinging it forward and shattering the hardened clay along the demon's forehead, slivers falling along her cheeks and the floor beneath her. He stilled, his wide, black eyes staring off to the side of her, and Kagome watched the thick, red blood seep from the new wound on his head. It glided around his brow bone in different directions, curving along his nose and temple, dripping down his cheek, stilling where gravity had it pool, and then dropping onto the bruised flesh just below her left eye.

She gasped, the high-pitched, breathy sound echoing in her ears as the room was silent and he seemed to wobble above her. She used the opportunity to push him off, his lower half sinking down while she wriggled and squirmed her way out. He collapsed to the floor, eyes half-lidded, and his chest rising and falling slowly.

She wanted to take a moment to gather herself, her body shaking uncontrollably from the amount of shock and adrenaline coursing through her veins, but she knew she didn't have time to sit around. Kagome needed to go. She needed to find her way out and run as far as she could, as fast as she could. A lump formed in her throat as she resisted the urge to curl into herself, wiping the sticky blood from her mouth on her white sleeve and gently sucking on her bottom lip. She took her other sleeve and hastily ran it over her face in an attempt to get Akiro's blood off of her, ignoring the painful ache along her left cheekbone.

Kagome curled her legs beneath her, steadying herself in a tabletop position before rising to her feet. She peered down at her attacker one last time to make sure there were no changes in his condition, and then slowly made her way around his body, stepping carefully over the broken shards of decorated clay. Noticing a large, pointed piece along her path, Kagome stopped to pick it up, holding and adjusting the jagged would-be weapon to make sure it fit properly in her small palm. Nodding approvingly, she held it close and made her way out the sliding doors, silently shutting it behind her.

The halls were quiet and still. It was exactly what you'd imagine a haunted home to feel like; distant from civilization, empty, run down, eerie, and cold. Kagome tried to stay rational, reminding herself that the seasons were changing. Autumn was quickly turning to winter outside, and she could tell the sun had set long ago. The night had anchored in and temperatures were, naturally, going to drop. As for the unsettling feeling Kagome got from the home, it was something she was just going to have to deal with. Akiro was creepy, therefore his house would be creepy. It only made sense.

Kagome tiptoed down the hallway, listening for any signs of life from inside the rooms as she searched for a way out. She didn't remember the halls being quite so long when she was brought in over Akiro's shoulder. In fact, she didn't remember the halls, period. Nothing around looked familiar, and Kagome couldn't pinpoint how many lefts and how many rights she'd taken to get to the room Akiro laid unconscious in now.

Everything was a blur from the moment she was abducted, and Kagome blamed the amount of adrenaline currently surging through her body. It was like electricity, the way it caused her fingers to tremble and her legs to feel unsteady, yet her knees never buckled, and her mind was surging at a mile a minute. She couldn't feel the pain under her eye, her split lip, or any other part of her body that Akiro had manhandled. All Kagome could think about was getting out. It was tunnel vision. She couldn't concentrate on details like direction, time, or even the distance between where she stood and any nearby village. Her brain would only drag her back to focus on her feet that moved of their own accord, stepping as quickly and quietly as she possibly could. Her eyes flicked from wall to wall, homing in on doors in the distance. Her ears rang with her own voice urgently demanding her to _find safety_ , _get the hell out of this place and hide, run and don't stop, find the way_ _out and book it._

Kagome approached a sliding door, pressing her ear to the side of it in order to hear if anyone was on the other side. Silent. She gripped the wooden border of it at the middle, sliding one side of the door open just enough to see through. Another bedroom. With each bedroom she checked, a dull ache began to grow within her stomach, cramping and churning. It seemed there were an endless number of bedrooms in the godforsaken place, but not a single exit to the outside world. Sighing out a shallow breath of disappointment, Kagome braced herself to keep moving when the distant sound of fevered stomping caught her attention. It was like a small stampede heading her way, getting louder and louder as she stood there wondering from which direction the guards seemed to be coming.

Her fight-or-flight response kicked into high gear, the danger she was in suddenly palpable, and Kagome stepped behind the door she'd opened and silently slid it shut, rushing over to a closet and climbing to fold herself on top of the blankets on the shelf before shutting the small door and waiting in total darkness. Kagome covered her nose and mouth with her hand, trying to slow her heavy lungs and breathe as quietly as possible. Her heart pounded violently behind her ribcage as she listened to the approaching men outside of the room, weapons clinking about. A deep, boisterous voice she didn't recognize ordered for guards to check all nearby rooms, barking about the importance of retrieving the runaway they were searching for. Kagome attempted to flatten herself more, imagining herself becoming smaller and smaller along the musty-smelling blanket she curled up on, her muscles cramping as she fought the quivers her body gave. The doors to the room Kagome hid in opened noisily, the wooden borders slamming along the outer edges of the gliding rails, and she swallowed her breath, her chest muscles tensing and tightening. There were at least two guards inside, walking about the room and checking behind and underneath the few items they could. Kagome fought the urge to shut her eyes and wish them away, knowing they were bound to check the closet next. She took the lesion on the side of her bottom lip into her mouth, reopening the clotted wound with the aggressive suck, swallowing the taste of copper and holding back the snivel that built up as the fear boiled and rose within her.

It happened so quickly, Kagome hardly had time to process what could be taking place out in the hall. Running, loud cursing, metal clanking against metal, men screaming and dropping to the floor, then silence. She waited a moment, desperately trying to hear through the stunning quiet and assess the situation just outside the doors she squatted behind. And then hope began to reenter her veins at an alarming rate and she opened the closet door as she wriggled herself out from the second shelf, dancing along the tips of her toes of one foot until she got the other one free.

There he stood, clad in all red and smiling warmly at her from his place at the entrance to the room, Tetsusaiga in one hand while he held his other out to her.

"There you are. I've been looking all over for you." Inuyasha calmly stated, taking a couple of steps towards her once she gained her bearings.

"Inuyasha!" Kagome practically sobbed, wanting to run into his warm, safe arms and never let go, but her feet stayed frozen in place. There was a sinking feeling in Kagome's gut that she knew she'd never be able to describe in words if she ever recounted this moment to another. Her mind was telling her home and security stood only five feet away, but her abdomen kicked and screamed that something wasn't right and to stay put. Her brain and her gut were battling ferociously, and the sickening feeling paralyzed her. That didn't stop the tears from brimming at her lids and burning her brown eyes or stop the grin on her face from growing wider as he took one more step in her direction, or stop the enthusiastic half laugh, half sob that emitted from her throat.

"Are you okay, Kagome?" He stood in the center of the room now, the warm smile never fading from his handsome face.

"I'm fine." She replied, hoping she didn't look as bad as she imagined, still glued to her spot just outside of the closet. She placed her hands along her stomach, the bubbling feeling behind her flesh making it seem as if she was going to puke so she swallowed thickly as a precaution to keep everything down.

What could be wrong? Inuyasha was here but neither of them moved to touch the other. She was supposedly safe, but as her gut began to win the war against her head, she no longer believed it. Her dark eyes shifted around the room, the guards she'd heard earlier gone and probably either dead or unconscious in the hall. No sounds stood out, and she couldn't feel any negative energy nearby. Everything seemed to be okay, so what, exactly, was throwing Kagome off?

"Kago-"

A burning sensation abruptly soared through Kagome's veins, a hot sweat prickling out along her hairline and down her spine. Her lungs contracted, and she nearly choked on her painful gasp as Inuyasha's golden eyes widened and stared to the ground. The half demon stumbled forward slightly, his jaw hung open, and his torso curled over as he clutched his abdomen. He lifted a hand to look at his palm and Kagome could see the dark red liquid that trickled between his knuckles and down the backside of his hand. The spear that pierced his stomach from behind was dyed crimson, and Kagome watched as the guard behind Inuyasha twisted the rod to increase the agonizing pain, causing the hanyou to scream and encircle his hands around the sharp bladed in an attempt to stop the brutal attack, blood spilling and pouring around his fingers.

"Inuyasha?" She didn't know why her voice came out so small when she really wanted to scream. She didn't know why she didn't move from where she stood when she really wanted to simultaneously hold her now-wounded husband while telling him everything would be alright, and attack the wretched being who'd hurt him. All Kagome could manage to do was release weak, trembling gasps and watch as Inuyasha wiped the blood that leaked from his lips and tried to regain his composure as best as he could with a spear stabbing through his gut.

"Found you." Akiro's familiar, taunting voice sang from the doorway, his arms folded over his chest and a crooked smirk curving his lips upward, the blood that stained his face curling along the lines from his smile. Four men stood beside and behind him, all with swords, knives, and spears in hand. He clicked his tongue in disappointment, slowly crossing the room towards Kagome whose eyes quickly shifted between the terrifying demon and Inuyasha.

"You bastard!" Inuyasha growled, the man firmly gripping the spear through his abdomen to make sure he didn't launch at Akiro.

"Now look what you've gone and done, Kagome."

"You stay the hell away from her!"

Akiro spared a small glimpse at the half demon in front of Kagome, a faint look of disgust tainting his features before swiftly looking back at the priestess. Inuyasha attempted to move toward them but the guard twisted the spear once more, pulling him back and causing the hanyou to release an anguished cry.

"Stop! Stop it! Inuyasha! Let me go! Inuyasha!" Akiro's arms were wrapped around Kagome now, holding her back as her legs suddenly remembered how to move and she struggled to get to the bleeding hanyou.

"You did this, Kagome! It only had to be you that died, but you were too selfish! Now look what you've done to your _precious_ Inuyasha!" The demon laughed, his voice growing deeper and more vicious with each word he spoke. Her vision blurred as Kagome blinked rapidly through the spilling tears, shaking her head and fighting against Akiro's hold. "No? Still don't think you're to blame, priestess?"

"Kagome!" Inuyasha shouted as the men in the background stepped closer, their dark, shadowed eyes trained on the demon that began to crumble from the pain of the sharp rod through his stomach.

"Inuyasha! No! Inuyasha!"

"Stop fighting, Kagome! Stop fighting and watch your beloved half demon die!"

The men raised their weapons high in the air, holding them there for a moment as Inuyasha and Kagome locked eyes one last time. Dark liquid seeped from Inuyasha's open mouth, dribbling down his chin and to the wooden floor beneath him. The black pupils in his amber eyes dilated, and his body dropped to the ground completely as the guards repeatedly pierced his thick skin with their sharp blades.

Kagome screamed Inuyasha's name as his eyes went dull and became half-lidded. She screamed it over and over, trying desperately to get his attention, because there was no way Inuyasha would ever die so easily. Ever. She'd seen him get through hell and back with hardly a scratch on him, so this couldn't be happening. He wasn't dead. He _wasn't_ dead. She didn't realize that she was fighting against Akiro so hard that he now held her by her waist, her body lifted in the air so that she couldn't use the ground as leverage any longer. She swung her feet back and forth, attempting to crash her flailing heels with any part of the demon holding her, and dug her nails along with the side of the shard into the pale skin of his forearms as hard as she could. He cursed under his breath and demanded she stop, but Kagome kept it up. She kicked, and she clawed, and she pushed, and she screamed for Inuyasha as loud as she possibly could until her throat burned, and her voice croaked and cracked, but nothing worked. He didn't flinch as she called out to him, begging him to get up. He didn't flinch as the men removed their weapons from his torso. He didn't even flinch when two of them grabbed him by his feet and dragged his limp body from the room, a thick trail of crimson left behind where he once laid.


	2. Part Two

"Let me go! Let me go, you asshole! Inuyasha!"

Akiro growled some sort of insult that Kagome couldn't hear over the throbbing sound in her ears, his hold on her wavering just a bit. She tried using the gap to push her way free, but he quickly spun her around and slammed her back into the wall, the thick and rough fingers of one hand encircling her neck. Kagome gasped hard from the force of the back of her head smacking against the surface behind her, the air suddenly trapped in her lungs with no way out. He kept talking to her, his sharp teeth just inches from her face, the moisture from his hot breath hitting her cheek, but she still couldn't hear through the drum beating in her ears. She could tell by the sadistic smile on his face that he was, yet again, taunting her with something she found herself glad was too muffled to make out. She kept kicking, trying to push the demon away from her somehow, but he adjusted his position over her, pressing his hard body against her own, making it impossible to continue thrashing her legs about.

As her chest hitched, the muscles spasming from lack of oxygen, she used the last of her energy in her exhausted limbs to grip the thick clay shard in her hand, her fingers flexing over the jagged piece so tightly that she felt the edges puncture her own skin. Kagome's eyes began to lose focus, choking gasps coming from her throat as she struggled to stay conscious for just a moment longer.

With her reserved strength, she pulled her right arm up and thrust the fragment of the vase she held into his offending forearm, forcing and ripping it along the length of his extremity. His pained yelling finally became clear to her ears as he dropped her to the ground and her lungs flooded with air once more as she wheezed, coughed, and panted on the floor. Her entire body quaked, and she tensed her muscles the best she could to regain as much composure as possible, dropping the clay piece and clutching her bruised throat.

"You fucking bitch!" Akiro swore, crimson blood dripping from the wound she'd dealt him, his opposite hand applying pressure as he hastily approached and kicked her in the side. Kagome coughed uncontrollably as she rolled over a few times, crumpling as her body stilled, whimpering soft sounds as she gripped her waist. The voice in her head screamed to get out, fight, run, but she was struggling too hard to take even breaths that anything more than that seemed damn near impossible.

She struggled to block the image of Inuyasha bleeding profusely before her, repressing the picture of his golden eyes wide and dull as the spear went through him. If Kagome gave up, she could be reunited with her husband. She came back to this era five years ago to be with him, and if she allowed Akiro to finish her off right here and now, she would be able to continue her journey by his side. The tears burned at her tired eyes, and she blinked them away, only a few escaping to glide down her cheeks. It seemed so simple; so easy to make the decision. Surrender and Inuyasha wouldn't have to die alone.

No.

She could practically hear Inuyasha's voice demanding her to get to her feet.

He would have her head, even in the afterlife, if she handed her life over to this son of a bitch.

A fiery rage suddenly spread through Kagome's core, creeping and crawling throughout her entire nervous system until it filled her with a passionate and intensely-burning empowerment. It absorbed her entirely, numbing all her physical pain and drying her tears instantaneously while at the same time stilling her trembling limbs and solidly anchoring her to the earth.

Kagome _could not_ , give up. She would not be dying here in this bitter and desolate place, at the hands of this monstrous murderer. If she died, who would warn Miroku of his plans? If she died, who would make sure this torture never happened to another living soul again?

Kagome had to keep fighting. There was no way around it. So, she allowed the anger to fuel her, finally rising from her spot on the ground. Her eyebrows pinched together, and her nose wrinkled as she looked upon the black-eyed monster before her, his clawed hand still covering the bleeding gash in his forearm.

"You don't know when to give up, do you wench?" He snarled, dropping his arms into a defensive position, allowing the blood to follow gravity and paint his paper-white arm scarlet.

"You said I was weak." Kagome stated huskily, her voice damaged from the strangulation. She stood tall, brown eyes fixed on the dark orbs that glared back at her. "I don't think I'm the weak one here."

"Why you…" He stepped forward, bringing his good arm up and backhanding her across the face. Kagome clenched her fists and tightened her core, stumbling a little to the side from the force of the hit. She pushed the hair from her face and regained her composure once more.

"You're bleeding pretty bad there, Akiro. And you've lost your will to tease. What's the matter, things not going according to plan?" She tiptoed her way to the side, her feet slowly dancing one behind the other until she was only a step or two away from the bloody, clay shard she'd dropped only moments ago.

A ferocious, guttural rumble boiled up in his throat, his brows furrowing deeply, creating creases in the center of his forehead. His lips peeled open, baring his sharp teeth as his nostrils flared in rage. A light shade of red spread across his pale cheeks as he cocked his head to the side and followed every single movement she took.

"You gloated earlier about how easy it was for you to lure _prey_ in and finish them off; about how high your kill count was and how unstoppable you are. All I did was cut your arm and it's practically debilitated you. So, what's so different here, Akiro?"

"I didn't know you liked to toy with death, priestess." His torso dipped forward as he stepped a foot back, flexing his claws by his side and preparing to throw himself at her.

"I think you're all talk." She goaded, feeling the heat in her gut begin to bubble over. He snarled and, if possible, his black eyes seemed to become even darker from the shading of his broadened brow. His growl grew louder, and Kagome tensed in preparation.

Akiro launched himself at her, quickly closing the distance as she dropped to the floor to grab her weapon. She'd almost dodged him completely, but his fingers snagged at her long hair, quickly pulling her back as he crept up behind her and adjusted his grip at the crown of her head. She was on her knees now, her hand reflexively holding onto the one he'd had knotted in her raven locks, her jaw setting and grinding down as he pressed himself up along her back. She could feel the rumble emitting from his chest, feel his breath flowing around the curve of her neck as he pushed the remainder of her hair out of his way and exposed the sensitive flesh. He dragged his claws along the length of her skin, digging them in just enough for a burning sensation follow the path of his nails. She bit back the wince, counting down from ten in her head.

"I can show you _exactly_ what I do to my other victims. I'll have you screaming so loud, begging me to stop and end it all for you. It'll be pure ecstasy to hear." Akiro's thick fingers gently curled around her throat once more, gliding their way up and gripping her by the crook of her jaw to jerk her face toward his. Kagome swallowed thickly reaching the final three numbers of her count, inhaling sharply as she took the shard and jabbed it into his upper thigh just behind her butt, the pottery sticking into his thick muscle as well as slicing through her own palm and worsening the lesion she'd already created. He howled as he jerked her head back but then released his grip immediately after as he doubled over, causing her own body to fold forward under his weight.

Kagome tore her bleeding hand from the ceramic now stuck in Akiro's leg, instinctively bracing her fall while trying to scramble away from the wounded demon. He grunted hoarsely as he fell to the side, freeing Kagome completely and removing all weight from his limb, clamping down on the gash she'd dealt him. With a final attempt to stop her, he grasped Kagome's ankle, the hot liquid on his fingers making his hold slippery along her skin, and she blindly kicked her foot back to shake free of his hold. The palm of her foot collided with his fresh laceration and he yelped, letting her go to clutch his bleeding thigh once more.

Hardly hesitating, she knelt before Akiro and tossed her aching fist down at his cheek as hard as she could manage, throwing her upper body into the motion to give it more power. He let out a feeble groan, his eyes disappearing behind dark lids, and Kagome lifted herself to her feet and ran from the room before she could find out if he was conscious or not.

The halls were silent and deserted, the only sound around coming from the slapping of her feet along the old, wooden floors, the cold atmosphere of the night seeping through the paper-thin walls. Kagome ran as fast as she could, throwing herself around corners in case anyone was following, crashing into the walls and pushing herself off to keep up her pace. The bitter air grazed the tender skin beneath her left eye, and she slowed to a stop, staring down the dead-end hall. It was like there was no way out of this godforsaken place. Every door she'd opened was a room or a closet, no windows or exits held within. That hopeless feeling began to creep up inside Kagome again, filling her chest with a heavy anxiety that had her wanting to sink to her knees and weep on the floor.

She slowly turned around in place, taking in the walls surrounding her and frantically trying to remember her way out. Her head felt foggy. With everything that had happened, Kagome couldn't think straight, her thoughts racing a mile a minute and making it difficult to focus on one thing at a time. Her fingers began to tremble while her swollen lip quivered, and she was unable to determine if she was cold or if her nerves were finally getting to her.

The pain that was subdued for a while was catching up, and Kagome was becoming fully aware of just how many nicks, scrapes, and bruises adorned her now. Clutching her right hand to her chest, she held her palm as wide as she could without making her skin taut. She took her swollen lip into her mouth, sucking gently to make sure the copper-tasting fluid no longer leaked from the cut, her teeth raking it slightly, causing her to wince and release her lip immediately.

There was no way she could catch her bearings where she stood as the unbearable and overwhelming weight of everything that had just happened came crashing down on Kagome. Her chest heaved up and down as breathing became a difficult task, feeling as if she were being strangled all over again. She fought against her quivering legs, locking her knees so they wouldn't buckle beneath her weight. Taking as steady of a breath as her aching lungs allowed, she walked back the way she came, looking for a storage room she'd recently passed. There were more than enough objects inside to hide herself among. Her scent was a dead giveaway of her location, the sweat and blood not helping her case, but she would be hidden from the human guards that had killed her husband, and that was all the coverage she could hope for, for the time being. Kagome only needed a couple of minutes to get a grip. Just a couple of minutes.

Sliding the door shut behind her after locating the room, she crawled over the mess of objects, adjusting some boxes here and there to create a barrier of sorts, and wedged her body in behind a folded-up shoji screen. There, she allowed herself to sink down, curling inwards and hugging her legs to her chest. Kagome rocked back and forth as the sobs escaped her sore throat, her resolve crumbling and flaking away completely. Hot tears glided down her cheeks and soaked through her wrinkled hakama as she shoved her face further into her knees to muffle her uncontrollably loud cries. Every emotion Kagome had suppressed in the previous hours threatened to swallow her whole; the mental pain so overpowering it became physical.

She needed to bring herself back down. She needed to ground herself and get it together. Her time was up. Kagome wasn't even sure if Akiro was conscious or not, and if he was, he could find her at any given moment. The will to compose herself was long gone, though. All she could manage to focus on was the sight of Inuyasha lying flat on the floor, a puddle of blood pooling around him and slowly spreading further along the wood. She'd never imagined she'd see the day where his limp body was dragged out of the room, his lifeless eyes still open as his light hair became stained with his blood.

Kagome gave a weak shudder, her bottom lip quivering as she slightly unfurled. She leaned a couple inches over to rest her shoulder against a wooden chest, quickly feeling the fatigue wash over her. It was ready to absorb her completely and pull her into an unsolicited sleep, and it wasn't hard for Kagome to understand that she needed to get out and soon. She wouldn't be able to last much longer this way.

Point blank, there _had_ to be an exit. This place wasn't completely closed off from the world, because she distinctly remembered a pair of large, blue double doors that Akiro had brought her through. Kagome needed to retrace her steps. She needed to stop running around like a chicken with its head cut off and look for something she recognized, like pottery, side tables, or paintings. She was willing to bet she was towards the back of the house. Or castle. It was certainly large enough to be considered as much, and every creepy demon seemed to have one.

If she was towards the back, which Kagome would consider the southside, she would have to make her way north. Direction was never her strong suit, but right now it was all she had. Of course, everything was hypothetical at best, but she was willing to try anything. It was better than racing blindly in circles for hours. The double doors were open when she was carried through, which means the front of the place would have a chillier draft flowing through. It was like the Northern star travelers would use to guide them. Follow the cold and you were free.

Kagome jerked to sit up straight, back elongated along the shoji screen. The sound of running reverberated off the empty walls outside of the room, and hushed curses made their way to her ears. The stomping feet stopped close by, and Kagome covered her mouth with her hand to muffle any small whimpers that continued to escape her burning throat, curling into her body so that she could possibly appear smaller behind the objects.

Inuyasha fought the urge to shield his nose, catching Kagome's blood in the air and wanting to cringe away from it. The moment he'd entered the place, he could smell two separate sources for the pungent scent, but her blood stood out to his senses and it wrung at his stomach like a fucking wet rag. He'd followed the nauseating aroma all throughout the twists and turns of the abandoned palace, heading deeper into the labyrinth, his heart pounding erratically as it got stronger. There wasn't a lot, he could tell that much, but there was enough to catch his undivided attention.

He slowed to a walk as he approached a dark hallway. Kagome's fresh scent hung around him in all directions, and he couldn't tell which way she'd gone. He wanted to call out her name, be loud and get everyone's attention like he normally would. Someone was bound to talk if they were up against Inuyasha and his Tetsusaiga while he was as pissed as he was now, but his gut instinct kept his mouth glued shut. It wasn't like he'd actually be creating a scene, anyway. Aside from his nearby wife, he couldn't detect another soul in the abandoned and eerily quiet place. The demon had done a damn good job at concealing himself.

Except there were two bleeders here, and Kagome wasn't the one bleeding out. He was willing to bet he knew who the other was, but he needed to find his wife and make sure she was okay before going up against that bastard.

Inuyasha stopped as he approached a dead end, turning in place and leading with his nose. His brows pinched together as he noticed a scarlet smudge along the corner of the wall, and as he moved closer, he could see the fine lines and little details left behind by the heel of a hand. A deeper fury bubbled in his stomach, his fingers curling into tight fists and a low rumble growing in his chest as he tore his golden eyes away from the handprint and darted them from door to door. He was so close to Kagome, he could feel it.

He was done with the slow and careful searching. He was done wandering the halls that lead to absolutely nowhere. He initially didn't want to go into rooms in case he encountered Akiro unprepared but fuck it. He was as prepared as he'd ever be. The demon was dumb enough to bring Kagome into this. The sooner he got to rip his body apart, limb-from-limb, the better.

Inuyasha went to every room down the hallway, throwing doors open and peering inside. Kagome's scent stopped at the doorway of each one, so he quickly moved to the next and kept going. If this was the way he'd have to find her, then so be it.

"Kagome!" He shouted, jerking doors open hard enough to hear them slam along the borders of their gliders. "Where are you?"

The stacked crates along the shared wall of a set of doors toppled over at the force of Inuyasha's shove, kicking up dust and tickling the half demon's sensitive nose. Every room had a musty odor to it, but this one was by far the worst. Where almost every single room he'd opened had maybe an item or two, this one was cluttered with piles of old boxes and chests, bedding material, clothes, paintings, and other basic home décor. The room had a peculiar smell to it, but the recent kick up of dust and the lingering mold in the air distracted his senses. He took his first step further into a room, sticking his nose in the air to pick out that smell. The sweet and copper mixture slid down his throat and he quickly turned his head about the room, looking in the obvious corners for Kagome.

"Kagome?" Inuyasha stepped further, holding back his instinct to tear apart the room from top to bottom in search of his wife.

Kagome wedged herself even deeper into her small nook of protection, the fear and confusion paralyzing her. She pressed her hand against her mouth even tighter to make sure absolutely no noises would escape as she heard the shuffling of feet move closer, ignoring the sting from her busted lip that protested her action. There was someone in the room and her mind chose now, of all times, to play tricks on her. She was desperate and tired, and she wanted more than anything to see Inuyasha again, but as soon as she gave in and crawled out of her hiding spot, she'd be attacked by Akiro and it would all be over.

He spoke in a gruff tone, calling her name and causing her to flinch lower into her space, her chest heaving as the mind-numbing fear crushed her walls. Just hearing his voice had Kagome weak, and she wanted to cry and scream from the agonizing pain in her chest. Even his footsteps sounded familiar, and her whole body begged for her to give up and reveal herself, but she was terrified of being wrong. She found herself more scared than she'd ever been in her entire life, and she never thought, especially after the hellish night she'd endured, that it would be the sound of his voice that pushed her over the ledge.

Inuyasha froze, a feeble whimper coming from behind the shoji screen to the left of where he stood catching his attention and twisting at his abdomen. He could hear soft, muffled panting, and the subdued cries that still managed to find their way through a pinched throat. He shifted uncomfortably, wondering why his instincts told him to stay put, and faced the shoji screen.

"Kagome," He murmured, putting Tetsusaiga back into its sheath. "It's me. You can come out."

She bit at her tender lip as she lowered her hand, sucking it in and shaking her head. Kagome didn't know what to do. If she was right and it was her mind playing a trick, she would come out and see no one, and it would be devastating. If it was Akiro and her mind somehow working together, she'd no doubt be tortured and killed. No matter what, though, she _had_ to come out. Kagome was a sitting duck, and she wondered which option was the lesser of two evils. Which would she prefer to kill her.

Kagome stood, her weak legs shaking under her weight, making it difficult to balance as she regained her posture. She took a brief moment, allowing her courage to build as she gently wiped her bruised and tear-stained cheeks with the sleeves of her blood-stained kosode, exhaling shallow breaths through her nose until they became deep and as steady as possible.

"You're safe now." The voice spoke once more, threatening to dissolve her façade on the spot. She tightened every muscle in her tired body, holding her ground and her nerve.

 _It's not Inuyasha. It's not Inuyasha._

 _Inuyasha is dead._

Kagome slowly peeked around the barrier she'd created of boxes and board, seeing the rest of the disorderly room, the shadowed walls that were probably dark brown in daylight but appeared a grimy gray in the night, a deep shade of red, long strands of silvery white, glowing amber eyes, lips curved downward and brows arched in worry. She nearly crumbled on the spot at the sight of him, a cracked sob escaping her throat. Her hand found her mouth once more and she tried to keep herself as together as possible, but seeing him standing there in front of her, breathing, blinking, and taking deliberate steps in her direction was almost too much to handle.

She instinctively took a couple of steps forward, but then forced her feet to step back, almost stumbling over. Shaking her head, she blinked through the sting of tears. Kagome didn't know what to think. She'd watched him die, yet here he was. His suikan wasn't torn or stained, and there wasn't a single shred of evidence that he'd had any sort of struggle, minus the bead of sweat gliding down his temple.

"Kago-"

" _No!_ " Kagome couldn't handle it. It was too much. Just how cruel was her own mind to fool her like this? He looked so real, she almost believed she could touch him. It wasn't fair. She fell to her knees, holding her sleeves to her face as her body quaked with her powerful cries. Her sobs were loud, her lungs wheezing while coughs burned at her throat, and Kagome was just so sad and unbelievably heartbroken that it was impossible to control anything her body did in reaction to the pain. "You aren't real! You died! You're not here!"

Inuyasha ran to her side the second Kagome's frail form collapsed to the ground, kneeling before her and feeling so incredibly confused, yet concerned and anxious to make sure Kagome was in one piece. What the fuck had happened to her? He'd hardly gotten a good look at her before she'd sunken down to this broken state, but he knew absolutely nothing was alright. Why would it be? She'd been kidnapped by a mass murderer and held captive for who knows how long. Who was dead? Why was she so upset at seeing him? What kind of torture was she put through?

He hovered his arms around her protectively and she flinched away before he could touch her, small gasps plaguing his ears and causing them to pin back along his head. It didn't take a genius to know that Kagome was terrified of something, and he wasn't sure if it was unbridled rage he felt or his own fear nipping at him as he imagined what could have happened to cause this woman to tremble on the floor before him. She was his pillar of strength, and he was confident enough to know that he was Kagome's as well. Yet she made no move to be closer to him; she only shied away.

"Who's dead?" Inuyasha asked, putting his arms down to rest on his knees and keeping his tone as cool as he possibly could.

"You aren't here."

"Kagome."

"You're dead."

" _Who's_ dead?"

" _You're_ dead!" Kagome wailed, finally uncovering her pink face and slapping her hands against her thighs. Inuyasha winced; his confusion clearing immediately as he quickly realized Akiro had manipulated her into believing this. Her brown eyes gazed at him through the tears pooling at her bottom lids. They traveled from his ears to his eyes, his hair, his neck, down to his chest, and then his stomach where they stayed.

"I'm here, Kagome. How could I be talking to you if I were dead?"

She only shook her head in response, never removing her eyes from his abdomen.

"Kagome, I'm alive." Inuyasha stated more adamantly. Still, she only stared at his stomach. Growing frustrated from feeling so helpless, he did the only thing he knew stood a chance at convincing her. He snatched her hand from her lap and pressed it to his chest beneath his robes. There she'd be able to feel his skin, his lungs expanding and retracting as he breathed air into his body, the warmth his demon blood provided that she loved so much at this time of year, and the beat of the heart behind his rib cage. "Feel that?"

Kagome's brown eyes were wide, her hand pressed firmly along his chest, and after a moment, she pressed the soul of her palm harder into him as if she were physically absorbing the reality before her. Her lips parted, and she took in a deep breath, and Inuyasha could tell that she was beginning to understand. He kept holding her hand over his heart, finding the feeling of her skin to his just as comforting for him.

"You… but I… I saw… you were…" Kagome sputtered, her blood-shot eyes darting back and forth from where her hand sat to his eyes.

"Akiro can play mind games. He's a master manipulator. Whatever you saw… it wasn't real." He promised, shuffling closer until their knees rested against each other. Her eyebrows furrowed in confusion and her bloodshot eyes glanced up at him. "He can get into your head, Kagome. When Miroku and I went up against him, he immobilized us. Miroku was the one that figured it out. The guy never once moved to attack us physically, and I think that's because his only strength is this one skill. He can make you think anything he wants."

Kagome swallowed the lump in her throat, her body's tremors slowly fading off as she took in the information. It wasn't her mind playing tricks on her. It was Akiro playing tricks on her mind. While it all felt so real, the entire situation began to unfurl and make sense. The Inuyasha she had seen earlier never touched her. He never closed the distance like the one she touched now had. He was abnormally calm and patient, while the Inuyasha she knew full and well was hardly either of those. Now that she thought about it, there wasn't an ounce of worry etched on that Inuyasha's features, while this one's lips curved downward and his breathing came out rigid as he pushed rogue strands of messy hair behind her ear and held her hand in place along his heart to feel the erratic pounding beneath his flesh, muscle, and bones.

She pulled her hand free from his grip, reaching to get her final bit of proof as she attempted to untie his robe one-handed. She fumbled and slipped, using her nails to grip at the tight knot and Inuyasha had asked what she was doing, but she ignored it as she used her non-dominant hand to pull the ties free. He asked again, the confusion causing him to stammer his words and lean back a little, but Kagome shushed him, frantically pushing his robes aside to reveal his scarred and toned belly. She ran her fingers over each curve of muscle and scar tissue from wounds that were only severe enough to leave their mark. The large one in the center of his core she had seen many times over the years, the feel of the thick and uneven skin familiar enough to cease her unsteadiness completely.

"You were stabbed," Kagome began, flicking her gaze back towards his own. "There was a guard that stabbed you from behind with a spear and then about four more came up and joined in…"

"What?"

"He didn't just make me think you were dead, Inuyasha. I _saw_ you die."

Inuyasha straightened his posture, a wave of heat washing over his body as he imagined what, exactly, Akiro had put Kagome through. He cradled her jaw in his hands, pulling her deep brown eyes to look into his. He held her face gently, noticing the dark discoloration surrounding her left cheekbone and at the corner of her lip, feeling that same heat begin to boil as it grew hotter and hotter within him. He wanted to take all of her pain and fear away. If he had to make it his own, he would endure it. If he could go back in time, he'd swap places with Kagome in a heartbeat. He didn't care what sort of state he was left in so long as it ensured her safety. If he could take it all from her, take it all in so that she could sit comfortably without fidgeting anymore and wouldn't have to deal with the lasting trauma of this event, Inuyasha wouldn't hesitate. Take him. Take all of him, but for the love of god, don't touch Kagome.

"The scar you're touching is from Sesshomaru." He mentioned softly. His warm breath blew over her face and Kagome relished in the sensation.

"I know." She acknowledged weakly.

"I'm so sorry this happened, Kagome. This is my fault. If I had just-"

"No, stop. It's not your fault. It's okay, Inuyasha."

"It's not okay, Kagome! Look at you! Look what he fucking did!" Inuyasha released his hold on her, grabbing the right hand that she clutched to her chest, small patches of crimson decorating the hem at the top of her kosode, which hung lower and looser than normal, and the skin just below her collar bones. He decided to ignore the blood for now, paying attention to the palm that he opened wider to get a better view of. Kagome flinched as he held the skin as taut as it allowed him without reopening the wound, seeing that the cut was mostly crusted over and hardly bled anymore. He rested her hand along his knee and removed his robe of the fire rat from his shoulders, leaving it lying on the floor behind him while he ripped a decent portion of the outer sleeve of his kosode off. Grabbing her hand again, he wrapped it around her palm, disregarding her small sounds of protests and tying the makeshift bandage tight.

"I… uh… I did that one." Kagome admitted, setting her hand down as he finished and letting her fingers relax in an opened position. "I cut him."

"You cut him?" He repeated, leaning in to get a closer look at the dried blood on her chest, following the path of the smudged scarlet and catching the scent of foreign blood among the stains.

"Well, I stabbed him too."

Inuyasha leaned back, blinking in surprise at how casually she'd just said all of that. He didn't know if he was more pissed that she was put in a predicament where she had to defend herself in such a manner in the first place, or proud that she did whatever she needed to in order to get away.

"What else happened?" The half demon asked. Kagome shook her head in response, sucking in her bottom lip as her eyes flickered away from him. "Kagome?"

"I didn't kill him. If we don't, things will only get worse. We need to finish this, Inuyasha." She squared off her shoulders, her voice wavering only slightly as she gave him a look that he easily read as _not now._

The fact that she wouldn't talk about it now told him everything he needed to know. He bit back the anger that bubbled up inside of him and swallowed all of the questions that now overwhelmed the forefront of his mind, grabbing his suikan from the floor. He wrapped it around her shoulders, but her arms never moved to be inside the sleeves, and before he could pull her long hair out from underneath the large robe, his golden eyes collided with her fearful gaze. Kagome was looking at him as if she was begging for something, and Inuyasha stopped moving to make sure he, in no way, hurt her. Her brown eyes were wide with panic and she tore the red robe from her back and pushed it into Inuyasha's chest.

"No, you need this! You need to wear this!" She insisted, pushing it further into his hold.

"Kagome, it'll protect you. You need it more than I do right now."

" _You_ need this! It's your armor! I don't want it!"

"Put it on, Kagome!"

" _Please!_ " Kagome dropped the crumpled-up robe altogether, closing the slight distance between them and wrapping her arms around Inuyasha's neck. She held her hanyou tight, threading her fingers into the silver hair at the nape as she tried to push down the sudden terror that overtook her. She'd seen him die once already. She couldn't do it again. She couldn't take any chances right now. Even if he was stronger than the image Akiro had created, it didn't matter. Kagome wouldn't take any lines of defense away from Inuyasha while they were still up against this monster. "I can't… I just… it'll protect you and… I can't let…Akiro, he's…"

Inuyasha wrapped his arms around Kagome, pulling her as close as he could, her cold body pressing against his bare torso. He shushed her to stop her stammering, understanding exactly what she was trying to say. It killed him that she was this frightened. His stomach twisted and roiled with every shutter her frail body gave against his. If it was this important to Kagome, he'd wear the fire rat. He'd do whatever he could to help ease her anxious mind.

Kagome felt Inuyasha go stiff, his upper arms flexing against her rib cage and his comforting whispers ceasing completely. He released a tensed breath of air, his hands finding her waist and gently pushing her back from him. She wasn't ready to let go. Kagome wanted to live in his embrace until this nightmare ended, but she understood the impracticality of that. She also understood the meaning behind the way his jaw tensed, and his eyebrows furrowed together. It was time to go.

He didn't move far from her; he only leaned back just enough to throw his suikan over his shoulders without it whipping her in the face. Inuyasha adjusted his clothing to conceal his stomach, tying the red knot at his front. His golden eyes turned to the opened door behind him then back to Kagome, placing his hand gently along her cheek to press a scant kiss to her forehead.

"I need you to stay as close to me as possible, got it?"

"He's coming?" She asked, her voice low enough for only him to hear.

"I'm not sure. Akiro hides his aura and scent, but someone is. From the moment I entered, I could smell two sources of blood; yours and someone else's." The half demon stood, one hand on the sheath of his sword, his thumb ready to flick out the hilt at any given moment, and the other held out to help Kagome up. She took his hand, allowing him to pull all of her body weight to her feet. "Stay directly behind me, Kagome. I mean it."

"But what about the guards?" Her feet didn't move along with his, and she jerked his arm back to get his attention. "There were at least five. He could be hiding their scents too."

"Nah, he's not that smart. He didn't even hide yours when he kidnapped you, and if my hunch is right, he's not hiding the smell of his blood." Inuyasha gripped her hand tighter, eyes shifting from her, the door, then back to her. "He's got a one-track mind, Kagome. I promise he's the only one we have to worry about in this place."

The growl in his voice became more evident with each word, and Kagome gripped his hand in return, readying herself. She knew she had plenty of justification for feeling scared and apprehensive as they left the room and made their way down the hall, but she found a sweltering fury overriding every other emotion within her. So much so, her posture corrected itself, straightening her back from its hunched position behind the half demon, her shoulders squaring once more as she began to walk at his side instead of using him as a shield as he'd wanted. Inuyasha noticed immediately and gave her hand a squeeze, pulling it behind him, but she held firm to her spot.

A brutal growl ripped through the air, and Inuyasha dropped Kagome's hand, pulling his Tetsusaiga from its sheath and wielding the powerful and transformed blade in front of him. Kagome looked all around them, the halls as dark as before, trying to locate the source of the rumbling as it got louder and closer. A putrid and evil aura jolted her core and unnerved her senses as Kagome stiffened forward, noticing Inuyasha's fierce snarl and white-knuckled grip on his sword.

"Guess there's no need for the shield since you've already found me, right half demon?" The vicious growl spoke, the pale creature appearing from the shadows with his green yukata slightly disheveled, limping forward on his wounded leg. The gash on his forehead and forearm no longer bled, his white skin tinged with rusty-colored streaks.

"Not that it did you much good." Inuyasha remarked. "You didn't cover Kagome's scent, or the rancid smell of your blood." Akiro chuckled, his pitch-black eyes seeming to light up.

"Oops." He shrugged, adjusting his clothing and grinning their way. "I guess I'll just have to try harder next time."

"You wanted me to find you, didn't you?" Inuyasha glared at the condescending asshole, deepening his stance and tucking Kagome behind him. The stench of the demon was awful, smelling strongly of freshly-rotting corpses, and it took more than enough effort not to cover his nose and to keep his hands along the handle of his sword.

"You bet." Akiro answered, crossing his arms over his chest and cocking an eyebrow. "See, my plan was for you to find your maiden gutted and maimed, but as you can see she's a feisty b-"

"Watch it." The half demon warned, feeling his blood boil beneath his skin. He shouldn't be letting this piece of shit talk right now. He should be striking Akiro with the windscar and ending this once and for all, but something twitched inside of him and he felt a looming darkness begin to slowly creep into his mind.

"I want you to pay, Inuyasha, for thinking a _thing_ like you could stop me. You asked for this to happen. You and that monk provoked my hand."

"Shut up!" Inuyasha rolled his golden eyes, ignoring the unsettling feeling. "Is this literally just because we tried to stop your fucking murder streak?"

"Well, you tried to kill me too, but yes. It is."

"So, you kidnapped my wife instead of facing me? Sounds like you're nothing but a coward."

Akiro growled in response, his lip twitching upward as he bared his fangs.

"Tell me, Akiro… What's with the mind games? I can feel you trying something right now. Is physical strength something you've always lacked?" Kagome derided.

"From the looks of your face, I'd say I harbor _plenty!_ " He snarled roughly, clenching his fists and cocking his head in the creepy manor he'd done several times before.

"And yet, even now, you're about to pull a cheap stunt, aren't you?" A sharp headache pinched at the front of Kagome's skull, and she furrowed her brows together in a meager attempt to alleviate it.

"My kind isn't like the others you see inhabiting this world. My kind relies on their mental abilities to manipulate and devour."

"What, exactly, is your kind?" Inuyasha inquired.

"We don't normally walk the land, I'll tell you that. We're more of an… _in the shadows_ bunch." Akiro smiled. The click of the saliva along his lips was the last sound Kagome heard before both hers and Inuyasha's screams echoed through the halls. She clutched the sides of her head and crumpled forward, a bleak blackness filling her mind and breaking her down. It wasn't a debilitating pain she was in. It was a crushing weight that swallowed her whole, a sickening sensation flooding every crevice of her brain and filling her with a mind-numbing despair. She knew she was right next to Inuyasha, but his agonized shouts sounded so far away, and she tried to open her eyes to find her hanyou, but all she could focus on was the overwhelming darkness that absorbed her.

Evil crept through her thoughts, resembling the tickling you'd feel if a bug crawled over your flesh, and she wanted to swipe the things off her. It caused her body to flinch and convulse as she tried to push back the malevolence with all her strength. She was a priestess. Evil would _not_ taint her mind.

Kagome opened her eyes, seeing the dirty, off-colored wood she curled up against, and pushed her way up to her knees. She couldn't hear anything Akiro shouted as he slowly approached, limping forward and smiling wickedly. Her ears rang with that same throbbing from earlier, and Kagome shook her head to try and dispel the sound, but it only made it worse. She was dizzy, her equilibrium was off, and she almost lost her already-shaky balance, flexing her fingertips along the floor to steady herself. She peeled her gaze from him and found Inuyasha beside her, eyes shut tight and lips peeled back in resistance. His hand rested along the hilt of Tetsusaiga, his fingers trying to grip it but the tremors making it impossible.

There were times before when evil tainted good, when evil flooded purity with darkness and clouded the minds of whoever encountered it. Years ago, she'd learned how to purify evil. She'd learned how to hold it back from infecting everything around. Kagome closed the distance between she and her half demon, folding her body over his protectively, feeling the muscles in his sides tremble fiercely against her. She could feel the darkness fighting back, threatening to cloud her mind again. Her stomach knotted painfully, almost like she was going to throw up, and she swallowed thickly to keep her composure as best as possible. If her plan worked and she could purify Inuyasha's mind just enough so that he could pull out of this, he could fight. He was already resisting, trying to raise himself from the ground as Akiro moved closer and closer.

Kagome thought of the light and the good, and she imagined their bodies enveloped in it as she felt a warm sensation flutter in her chest and expand. Her headache grew worse, but she only clutched onto Inuyasha harder. She was taking his pain, the evil cloud, and whatever impurity he felt and transferring it to her, freeing his head and his body from Akiro's grip.

Inuyasha growled, the sound reverberating throughout his chest and into Kagome's, as he slowly rose to his feet, using the tip of his blade to help ground him. Kagome followed his movements as best as she could, unable to see a thing through her bleak surroundings. She attached herself to his back, afraid to let go in case it all rebounded back to him, wrapping her arms around his waist as tight as she could as her body quickly grew exhausted.

 _Just a little while longer._ She told herself as the uncomfortable, tickling sensations spread all over her skin, through her mind, and down her bloodstream. She bit her lip to keep from screaming as the weight of the darkness grew heavier on her, clinging to the sting from her reopened cut at the corner of her mouth. Kagome bit down harder, the copper taste barely touching her tongue from her teeth clenching down, the pain helping her separate what discomfort was real and what was Akiro's making. She could feel Inuyasha's arms raise up, the familiar surge of demonic aura surrounding them just before he swung his sword down and the windscar launched toward his target. Kagome's fingers curled into the front of his robes, her arms aching from how hard she fought to stay connected to him.

The blackness faded out, her mind clearing as if a storm had passed. Her muscles stilled and the tension in her jaw slacked, and it felt like all the fear had left her body at once. The wicked aura was gone. The night was still and quiet once more. It was over.

Inuyasha felt Kagome's arms slide down from his waist as she fell to her knees. He dropped the Tetsusaiga and whipped around, prepared to catch her before her head hit the ground, but she merely sat on the floor, her back hunched over slightly while her hands braced her weight. He kneeled in front of her, hooking his index finger under her chin to tilt her face upwards. His free hand met her cheek, the padding of his thumb wiping the small drop of blood from her bottom lip away before she could do it herself.

"Is he gone?" She asked weakly, her brown eyes dull with fatigue.

"Yeah. He's gone. It's over." Inuyasha pushed the raven strands from her face, his fingers traveling into her hair and gripping it gently at the side of her head. She sighed into his touch, and his heart gave a fevered beat behind his ribcage. "How'd you do that? How'd you clear my head?"

"I tried to purify the evil from you. It didn't seem possible, but I somehow managed to take it from you."

"You took it?!" The hanyou tensed.

"It's okay. I don't mind. You beat him, Inuyasha." Kagome's feeble smile shook Inuyasha's core and he felt his resolve crumbling as quickly as it had built. After all she had been through, she still willingly took on more, just so he'd have an opportunity to kill Akiro. He didn't know what he would have done if the worst had taken place tonight. He leaned forward, brushing his lips against hers as gently as possible, minding the swelling. As badly as he wanted to crush his mouth to Kagome's and kiss her breathless to show her just how relieved he was, he knew there were other ways to show that. And he would take his sweet ass time showing her in every fucking way possible for as long as it took.

He moved his lips to the bottom corner of hers, softly grazing his mouth along the bruise. Then he moved his lips to the larger welt of discoloration beneath her eye, keeping his kisses as light as possible. He kissed her temples, her forehead, her nose, and ended where he had started, his lips lingering against hers until her hands traveled up his chest and clutched at his fire rat. He exhaled, a feeling of contentment overtaking him as he took off his suikan and wrapped it over her shoulders, knowing she wouldn't protest anymore, helping her push her arms through before kissing her one last time.

"Let's go home, Kagome."


	3. Epilogue

They made their way back home at a leisurely pace, Kagome draped over Inuyasha's back as her arms hung loosely around the sides of his. She drifted in and out of sleep along the way, her deep, warm breath gliding along Inuyasha's neck, reminding him that she was alive and with him once more. She didn't talk, and he didn't ask questions, allowing her to bathe in the peace of the crisp and quiet morning. There was no need for her to relive anything from this night so soon. She would talk when she was ready.

They reached the small, homey village where it all began, and Kagome peeked her head up from behind his shoulders. Men and women were already getting a start on their day, farmers heading into the fields with their tools and children running about, playing with others and helping their mothers with the chores. Inuyasha noticed a young girl sitting just outside her hut, legs folded beneath her as she kept a steady eye on the trees to her side. In her hands, she clutched the burgundy bow while the quiver with arrows laid to her side. Her head turned to scan the field, and Inuyasha watched her entire body noticeably perk up at the sight of the two in the clearing. She shouted for her sister, the smaller child poking her head through the entry mat and jolting out of the hut to race towards them.

"We just have to make a small pit stop, okay?" Kagome hummed in approval, resting her cheek back against his shoulder.

"Lady Kagome! You're okay!" The girls shouted in unison. Inuyasha knelt, allowing them to greet their priestess but reminded them to be gentle in their excitement. He could feel Kagome's cheeks curve upward along his scapula in a ginger smile at their joy, expressing that she was fine, and they didn't need to worry anymore.

"They ran all the way to Kaede's to get me, Kagome." Inuyasha mentioned.

"You two were so brave." She sighed happily, reaching over to them one at a time and stroking their cheeks, rosy from the cold air. "Thank you so much for saving me. I don't know what I would have done without your help."

Inuyasha collected her weapons from the girls as they said their goodbyes, adjusting his hold on Kagome as he stood. They continued their silent trek, her body melting into his as she murmured a soft thank you to him. He didn't know why for, and he didn't ask. He just smiled, relishing in the feel of their synchronized breathing.

He approached Kaede's hut, ushering for Rin to stay quiet as she ran towards them so that she wouldn't wake Kagome. Rin understood and turned to get Kaede. He needed medicine for her wounds, and he knew Kaede had a reserve. Kaede's brows arched in concern as she looked at the sleeping girl Inuyasha carried, handing over a small jar of cream. The half demon cocked a slight grin in response, hoping it was enough to confirm that Kagome was alright.

"Do the others know what happened?" Inuyasha asked, his voice soft and low.

"Yes, of course." Rin answered, her octave matching his.

"Do me a favor. Let them know she's okay, but not to stop by. She needs as much rest as possible right now."

Kagome stirred as they approached their hut, a soft whine leaving her mouth and filling Inuyasha's ears. He gently set her down on their bed, setting her things off to the side. He gazed at her and she smiled back sleepily, the dark circles under her left eye blending in with the purple and blue hues along her cheek. He grazed his thumb against her jaw, placing a soft kiss to her forehead before heading to the cabinet for some fresh clothing. He retrieved her night robe, deciding the lighter the better, and returned to her side.

She helped him remove her clothing, but he slowed down her movements, his golden eyes trailing down her bare sides and taking in each and every forming bruise. The tips of his fingers slid along the curve of her waist, lingering over the thick finger markings the demon left behind. He followed the path down to her hips, and bit back the growl that crept its way up his throat.

He pushed the robe from her shoulders, her upper body completely revealed to him, and he swallowed the harsh taste of the dark patterns on her neck, the few down her arms, and then her poorly-bandaged hand. How could he have let this happen to her?

As if to silence his thoughts, she placed a cold hand to his cheek and smiled up at him. After all of this, she still found it in her to smile, and Inuyasha could feel his face growing hot. He leaned in, placing soft kisses all along her bruised cheekbone, then to the slight discoloration at the corner of her mouth. He knelt further and kissed the fingermarks that covered her neck, around her shoulders one-by-one, and down her arms. He kissed her unmarked collarbones and her bare sternum that led to her tender waist and her bruised hips, knowing the whines that left her mouth as he brushed his lips along the inflamed spots weren't of pain. Inuyasha ran his fingers down her bare legs, watching them twitch at his gentle touch as he reached the rusty coloration that stained one of her ankles.

He told her to stay still and went outside for a pail of water, grabbing a washcloth from the cupboard as he came back. He returned to his spot before her, dunking the cloth into the water, ringing it out, and rubbing it down her arms. Kagome hissed at the cold shock, but didn't shy away from him, allowing him to wash Akiro's tainted scent and the remainder of the horrifying night from her skin. Inuyasha unwrapped her right hand and gently rubbed the rag along the sides of the cut, making sure to clean it thoroughly. He continued to run the washcloth over her body delicately, removing all traces of dirt and dried blood, taking his time as she leaned into his touch.

He rubbed the cream Kaede had given him into the few lesions she had, dressing her hand in a tight bandage to keep infection out, and placing her night robe over her clean body, tying it at the waist. Once more, Inuyasha ordered her not to move, his voice low and gruff. He moved over to where she kept her hygienic belongings and retrieved her brush, taking up residence behind her and combing the tangles from her hair. He started from the bottom, having learned from all the times she'd brushed his that it prevented snags and yanks, slowly working his way up until the brush moved smoothly through her raven locks.

He wanted her to eat, but she didn't think she could stomach any food at the moment. She promised she would try later, and he could tell the exhaustion was swallowing her whole. Inuyasha helped her get adjusted in their bed, offering to grab an extra blanket for added warmth from the chill of the oncoming winter. Kagome declined, asking him to lay with her, wanting his body heat.

How could he say no? Her voice was so soft, slightly broken from the damage her throat had taken, and there was nowhere he'd rather be. The half demon removed his robes, sliding under the blankets and holding her close as she cuddled into the heat of his chest. He ran his nails down the length of her spine, his breath hitching as she kissed his collarbones, her lips so gentle along his hot skin it caused goosebumps to travel down the entirety of his front and back. His arms flexed around her and he pulled her even closer, resting his chin on top of her head as she giggled into his neck.

The sound caused something in his stomach to flutter, and he found himself being comforted when he was the one that was supposed to be comforting. Inuyasha melted into her touch, her breathing eventually deepening, her warm breath dancing over his chest as she drifted off. He closed his eyes to take her all in; the feel of her curves pressed against him, the cold from her body dissipating as she quickly absorbed his heat, and the way her fingers always made their way down his sides and hooked into the hem of his pants to make sure he didn't go anywhere, even in sleep.

This was where she was the safest. This was where _he_ was the safest. In bed. In each other's arms. The world couldn't harm them here.


End file.
